International Parliamentary Conference Russia – Africa in a Multipolar World

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Dear friends,

I would like to sincerely welcome all the representatives of legislative bodies and leaders of political parties and public movements from African states in Moscow and at the international parliamentary conference.

Your conference is undoubtedly important in the context of the continued development of Russia's multifaceted cooperation with the countries of the African continent. We also consider this event a key part of the preparations for the upcoming second Russia-Africa summit scheduled to be held in St Petersburg in July.

The first Russian-African summit held in October 2019 in Sochi was very productive and noticeably invigorated our ties with African states, gave a boost to business interaction and cultural and humanitarian exchanges. The partnership between Russia and African countries has gained additional momentum and is reaching a whole new level.

This conference brings together representatives of most countries on the continent. Given that it is legislators who are supposed to express the will of their voters in their countries and work in the interests of their people, your arrival shows that the peoples of Africa are interested in stepping up efforts to develop multifaceted and mutually beneficial relations with Russia.

I want to emphasise that our country has always and will always consider cooperation with African states a priority. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is one of the unchanging priorities of Russia's foreign policy.

Ever since the African peoples' heroic struggle for independence, it has been common knowledge that the Soviet Union provided significant support to the peoples of Africa in their fight against colonialism, racism and apartheid, how it helped many African countries to gain and protect their sovereignty, and consistently supported them in building their statehood, strengthening defence capabilities, laying the foundations of their national economies and workforce training. The symbol of this cooperation was the construction by Soviet experts of the Aswan Dam, the largest in Africa. And today, the Russian Federation continues its policy of providing the continent with support and assistance.

To be continued.